by Mark Smiley | Dec 17, 2018 | Feature Story Bottom Left
by Danny Foster, Esq.
As 2018 ends and 2019 peeks its head around the corner I
have a news flash that should not come as a news flash: raising kids is damn
hard! It appears as if raising kids in 2019 will be as challenging as raising
kids in 2018. As a father of three teenagers I face the daily struggle of
limiting phone time, arbitrating sibling arguments, and trying to figure out
where the heck they are all the time and who they are with.
Teenagers can really test a parent’s patience and sanity.
Don’t get me wrong, I like my kids. A lot. But parenting is really hard. And
now that my kids are knee deep in high school and middle school we have to
address the alcohol and marijuana issue. You know, that issue.
It’s a balancing act talking to your kids about the dangers
of drugs/alcohol and at the same time letting them know that IF they choose to
indulge that we absolutely do not want them to be afraid to let us know if they
need a safe ride home or need our help if they are struggling with substance
issues.
On the one hand we cannot, as mature, law-abiding parents,
condone our kids engaging in illegal and self-destructive behavior, but on the
other hand we don’t want to see their bad choices have deadly consequences. Our
law firm has for years hosted a free community seminar titled “High School Boot
Camp” for parents and students to address the dangers associated with
alcohol/drugs as well as a host of other issues. Even with all my knowledge and
training I am often frustrated by the complexities of how to raise kids.
Telling our kids that we will be there for them, no
questions asked, if ever they need our help during such a drug/alcohol crisis
is a mixed message. However, it is a mixed message that is entirely reasonable
in light of the fact that teenagers’ decision making can often be suspect. I am
willing to say that in this case a mixed message is pragmatic and essential to
the well-being of our children.
But the mixed messages our children face are even more
complicated now that marijuana has become ubiquitous in Colorado. What once was
taboo a few years ago is now mainstream. And now just in time for 2019, the
City of Denver is making it even harder for parents to teach our children correctly
with the nation’s first legal heroin injection sites. Yes, you read that
correctly.
Just this past month the Denver City Council voted 12-1 to
legalize heroin injection sites with city support. Call me old-school but I
don’t think we should be making it easier to shoot heroin; yet the Denver City
Council thinks that the benefit of being able to provide “safe places” for
heroin addicts to get high outweighs the negative impact this will have on the
City. This is the city’s attempt to play parent to the teenager. Except we are
not talking about being too drunk to drive home from a party and getting a safe
ride home, we are talking about engaging in highly illegal and self-destructive
behavior that ruins lives and destroys neighborhoods.
Trying to rationalize this city ordinance in any context is
dangerous. I applaud the city council’s desire to save lives, but this proposal
normalizes and essentially condones heroin use, with zero evidence that it will
save lives. Further, the crime and homeless problem will only get worse. Been
to Civic Center Park lately? Neither have I. It has become a mecca for heroin
abuse and violent encounters. That problem will only worsen. If you build it,
they will come.
While it is highly unlikely this heroin ordinance will survive
the state legislature’s ratification or U.S. Attorney’s challenge, the fact
that the city council wants to make our beautiful city more enticing to heroin
abuse is a sad commentary on what we deem to be permissible nowadays.
Thankfully councilman Kevin Flynn voted against this ordinance and I urge
everyone to call his office and thank him for his courage to do the right
thing. I also urge everyone to call their state representative and urge them to
vote against this bill if it comes up for discussion in 2019. It is an
unreasonable and dangerous response to a national epidemic. There are not a lot
of easy solutions to the opioid epidemic, but this is certainly going in the
opposite direction.
So parents, I hope 2019 brings joy, peace and lots of love to
your families. I hope you can devise a way to discuss these complicated issues
with your teenagers because I for one am tired of seeing good kids suffer
because their parents refused to engage in these challenging discussions. And I
hope the state legislature puts a swift and resounding end to Denver’s decision
to normalize heroin use in our city.
Danny is a managing partner of Foster, Graham, Milstein
& Calisher (FGMC). His practice focuses on personal injury. The law firm of
FGMC, located in Cherry Creek, is a full service law firm focusing on: criminal
defense, personal injury, real estate, litigation, liquor licensing,
construction law, tax/estate planning, bankruptcy and zoning. This article does
not create an attorney-client relationship and is for informational use only
(what do you expect from an attorney!)
by Glendale Sports Center | Dec 17, 2018 | Feature Story Middle Left
by Alison Chism
A popular New Year’s resolution for many people is to eat
healthier, begin exercising and lose weight. Yet, a common question is how to
kick-start an exercise program that provides the most benefit? This leads us to
what are fast fat burners and how can you get the most results from your
workout? Here are three strategies to keep in mind as you start the New Year.
Begin Strength Training
Everyone has probably heard how great strength training is
for your body. But you might not realize how critical it is for burning fat.
Calories are the fuel that creates energy, which keeps our
bodies going throughout the day. These calories must be burned, or they will be
stored as fat. When you strength train, you “break down” muscles in order to
build them back up stronger. In doing this, our muscles need to consume a lot
of calories. And, the more we break down our muscles and force them to repair
themselves, the more calories we burn. In addition, the more muscle we have,
the more calories will be burned to fuel them.
For example, consider two individuals who each weigh 150
pounds. One has a body fat percentage of 40%, making their remaining 60% lean
body mass of muscle and water weight. The other individual has a body fat
percentage of 25%, making their remaining 75% lean body mass. What does this
mean? The individual who has a higher percentage of lean body mass will burn
more calories to fuel their muscles rather than storing the calories as fat.
Additionally, because our muscles need so much fuel,
strength training makes our bodies continue to burn more calories even after
working out, up to 39 hours!
Consume Enough Protein
Protein is the main macronutrient that feeds our muscles and
bodies to keep them strong. As stated, having a stronger body with more muscle
will organically burn more calories than having less muscle. Therefore, we need
to ensure we are consuming enough protein to help keep our bodies strong.
Protein can also help increase or regulate metabolism. This
is because our bodies burn calories when we are digesting food. This is called
the thermic effect of food. It is estimated that 20% to 35% of calories are
burned during digestion when we eat protein-rich food. When we eat fat and
carbohydrates, we only burn 5% to 15%.
Sleep, Sleep, Sleep
…And More Sleep
Finally, getting enough sleep every night is arguably the
most important component to living healthy and burning fat. Think of when your
computer shuts down and reboots. It requires a certain amount of time to be
completed or else the programs do not run successfully or efficiently. Our
bodies are the same way. When we go to sleep at night, our bodies are shutting
down in order to reboot for the next day. If we do not give our bodies enough
time, then our bodily functions get messed up and do not run properly. These
functions can include our metabolism, hormones, ability to deal with stress,
and brain function.
Getting active and raising your heart rate is always good
for you, and committing to an exercise program is a great way to start a New
Year. By adding fat burners to your routine, you can make sure your workout is
working as hard as you are.
Alison Chism is the Health & Wellness Director at the
YMCA Glendale Sports Center at Infinity Park. She is certified as an ACSM
Personal Trainer, ACE Health Coach and TRX Suspension Trainer. She is also
certified in ACSM Exercise is Medicine. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in
Health Promotion and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Health and Wellness
Management.
by Valley Gadfly | Dec 17, 2018 | Valley Gadfly
Hats, confetti, noisemakers, the New Year has arrived. So sing, dance and make good cheer we’ve made it through another year. January is a time to start over, to forget the old and relish the new. It is an opportunity to resolve to change even if we never quite get there. As the years have taughtus, kick the year off by embracing the unexpected.
We can run and hide, or we can open our arms and welcome the
uncertainty of 2019. Either way, the unknown is coming, and it’s going to be
full of surprises.
Here are our New Year choices for shopping, dining and
entertainment to ring in a joyous and focused 2019 filled with pioneering fresh
hope, dreams and aspirations:
3 An explosion
of portraits, photographs and acrylic paintings greet the New Year at the
Robert Anderson Gallery on E. Colfax, Jan. 2-Feb. 28. Attend the opening
reception Jan. 18-5-8 p.m. Information: 303-257-0684.
3 Brighten the
New Year enjoying music by the Whiffenpoofs of Yale in the Gates Concert Hall
Jan. 5, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Information: 303-871-7720.
3 See Denver
Botanic Garden’s beautiful Orchid Showcase in the Orangery & Marnie’s
Pavilions from Jan. 10-Feb. 17. Information: 720-865-3500.
3 Whoop it up
to the punk-influenced music of the Mustard Plug band at the Bluebird Theatre
on Colfax Jan. 11, 8 p.m. Information: 303-377-1666.
3 Plan your
2019 events/galas at Infinity Park Event Center, celebrating 10 years of
fundraisers, picnics, mitzvahs, quinceaneras, weddings, fashion shows, proms,
and trade shows in Glendale. Information: 303-248-7100.
3 For an
entertaining start to the New Year attend the Raisins & Almonds reception,
concert and dinner at Hebrew Alliance Jan. 27, 5 p.m. Enjoy open wine bar, hors
d’oeuvres and catered dinner. Information: 303-355-0232.
3 Let Count
Basie Orchestra’s Basie Bash keep the year swinging at the Arvada Center June
19, 7:30 p.m. Information: 720-896-7200.
3 Close the
month out enjoying Grammy winning singer Marc Cohn at Temple Emanuel Jan. 26,
7:30p.m. Information: 303-388-4013.
3 Put on your
cowboy boots, grab your hat and ride to Denver’s National Western Complex to
see bulls, broncos, cowboys and cowgirls at the National Western Stock Show
Jan. 8-27. Around since 1906, this is your last chance to see sights of the
historic stockyards. An $800 million makeover begins once this year’s show
closes. See rodeos, horse shows, livestock plus art and special events.
Information: 303-296-6977.
Exciting, scary, fun and enriching: That’s what each New
Year is — a leap into the unknown. It is for me. It is for each of us. A time
to say, “yes” to things we’ve never even thought about, had the nerve to do or
even saw coming. It is wiser to embrace the new and unexpected — whether good
or ill — instead of trying to dodge what can’t be dodged.
The New Year stands before us, like a chapter in a book,
waiting to be written. By letting go of our past, we can begin writing the
story creating a vision for the year ahead.
Celebration of the lunar New Year is believed to have
started to let in good, help us to keep an open mind and remain responsive. The
calendar marks a great time to look back and plan for an even better year
ahead. The words of Muhammad Ali offer a simple way for us to encounter 2019:
“Don’t count the days. Make the days count.”
— Glen Richardson
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at
newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.
by Peter Boyles | Dec 17, 2018 | Blasting with Boyles
I’ve been a witness to malfeasance and criminal activity and
just plain underhanded, off the bottom of the deck dealings in the City of
Denver for a number of years. I go back as far as the McNichols administration
stretching now into the town’s best friend Michael Hancock.
I have also been a monitor of the total lay down media in
the Front Range including radio, television and newspapers. But never in my
storied career have I seen anything as tragic, misreported and flat dishonest
behavior than I have witnessed beginning when the Denver City Council voted
12-1 to initiate supervised use sites for injectable drugs.
The biggest offender other than the elected officials has been
KUSA, Channel 9. I’ve accused them of being weaponized before when it came to
creating Deborah Ramirez, the behavior of Brandon Marshall, what happens inside
Denver Broncos, Denver Players and Sugar, ignoring the truth about Matthew
Shepard’s murder, the George Babbitesque home town boostering and flat-out
media manipulation. The Denver Post is behind that and other media outlets have
played the same game and many just choose to turn a blind eye.
The biggest offenders on the political side I happen to believe
are John Hickenlooper and Michael Hancock. If anyone thinks that Councilman
Albus Brooks came up with this on his own I got a bridge in Brooklyn. Also,
dear reader don’t you find it suspicious that there has not been anyone, with
the exception of one person in the Republican Party speaking out against this?
Where are you Cory Gardner? Where is the Governor? Where is Governor-Elect
Polis? Where, for that matter, is there anyone saying that this thing not only
doesn’t work but destroys lives and cities. I have diligently worked on this.
And in spite of proclamations from Channel 9 and politicians
that there is not statistical evidence or studies on Vancouver proving it not
to be a positive experience there are numbers of statistical evidence,
variables on crime, overdose deaths hospital overloads, heroin addict
population increases, meth people walking Vancouver like the TV series The
Walking Dead. Why would anyone want to bring that here?
Let me give you a couple of quickies.
Denver claims that 201 people died last year of drug
overdoses in Denver. Albus Brooks claims a thousand of our friends and
neighbors in all of Colorado died last year of ODs. Vancouver is a smaller city
than Denver and now has safe injection sites and a thousand people overdosed in
the city of Vancouver alone. Let that sink in. Vancouver is smaller and has
safe sites and has 800 more ODs than Denver. Other statistics — Vancouver after
safe sites had to hire 90 more police officers into the area around East
Hasting Street in Vancouver where safe sites are located. A rookie cop in
Denver starts at $57,000 and change. That would cost taxpayers here an
additional $5.2 million dollars.
Vancouver had one of the best health care systems in the
world. It’s now been overrun with other multiple diseases. Here’s one for the
record books. Albus and his minions claim people get off the streets. Last year
only 252 people graduated from detox. Remember detox is not rehab. Vancouver
claims there were 6,532 different people visiting 263,713 times. 252 people
graduated from detox and detox again is not rehab. I know that one well.
Just for the record the Imperial British that run Denver —
that’s a reference to the Opium Wars in China — claim that the safe sites will
stop addicts from using in public places. Vancouver says there are about 15,000
injections a day in the city while the sites monitor 600 injections a day. I
can’t do math and I can’t do marriage but a friend of mine who can says that
means 90% of injections take place away from the sites.
People are drawn there, and people die there. When an IV
drug user hits the vein, they seem to want to curl up, nod out, feel warm and
let the rush come over them. Then a do-gooder in the sites rushes in and
administers the antidote Narcan and effectively kills the buzz. And then they
rush over and mark “we just saved one more” on the wall. And that’s where these
idiots get their numbers of saves. How would they know? Folks, this is just at
first blush. When you read statistics on crimes against persons, street
assaults, vehicle theft, prostitution, breaking and entering these are
skyrocketing statistics since 2007 when Vancouver was foolish enough to let
this stupidity loose on its own people.
Please stop this. Don’t let this get any further. I don’t
think anyone in Denver media, nor, with one or two exceptions, any damn fool
involved in city government has any idea what they’re doing. For the sake of
everybody’s children and grandchildren do not let them release these dogs on an
otherwise great city.
— Peter Boyles
